What Dreams Are Made Of
by Tabbyluna
Summary: She knew that dreams were constructed, but sometimes she wished that there was a guideline for how to build them.


Stealth Elf looked outside the dormitory window as she tied up her hair, still wet from the shower, into a bun. In an old t-shirt and baggy sweatpants, she felt comfortable. More comfortable than what she had felt over the past few weeks. With the stress and pressure of exams, she had not been able to truly relax in a long time. But at that moment in time, wearing warm pyjamas which smelt like home, the room cool from the night air, she found herself feeling calmer than she had felt in a long time.

At the same time, her stomach still felt a little squirmish and queasy. Despite the cool air, she felt like she could start sweating profusely any moment. Overall, there was an anxious energy within her. Something which could potentially keep her awake all night, make her stare at the ceiling and pace around the room, prevent her from getting the rest that she needs to face the next day.

The Academy always needed to spend months meticulously planning and designing tests that would be fair for all their students. Whether they were in the junior courses, or the senior courses. They needed to be appropriately challenging, especially considering how so many Skylanders were usually needed, how so little applications came each year, and how dangerous the job was. Of course, that usually means that the marking process was planned out in advance too. And after a few short days of break, the results would all be out for everyone to see.

She would finally see whether or not she will move on with her studies.

There were a lot of expectations awaiting her at home. All her Masters at home had been extremely kind to her, raising her as a daughter and training her diligently. If she could move on to the senior courses, it would be a great honour onto them. To see their pupil being able to move on to do greater things. To help to protect the Skylands and use her skills to benefit everyone. It would make all those long hours of practice worth it. They could talk to other ninja masters about how she was doing great things with her abilities. All of them would be so proud of her, she was certain about that.

Spyro and Eruptor would probably move on too. Eruptor keeps joking about how he'd probably fail. About how he's only going to have a future in cleaning out lava lakes. But really, he was probably one of the most powerful students in their batch. Spyro was confident in his ability to pass too. And he definitely did have the natural talent and skill to back up his claims. Both of them were most likely going to move on to the advanced courses. She was certain of that.

She was certain of a lot of things. How the sun would rise tomorrow, what outfit she would wear, how she would wear her hair, what she would be having for breakfast. The students who would fill up the school hall. The teachers who would show up, and the teachers who would skip. She was certain of the things students would do to celebrate, such as going out for bowling or karaoke. But there were still plenty of things she was uncertain about.

How well would she do? Would all of those hours spent studying and revising, practising and training, mean anything at the end of the day? She knew she probably could have worked harder, but she did work hard. But would that be enough to pass? Should she have worked herself harder? Did she study enough, train enough, to pass?

What would happen if she failed? Where would she even go from there? She supposed that she could continue training under her masters. Carry on fighting, and defending her tiny little corner of Skylands. But it's not quite the same as what she could be doing as a Skylander. All the lives she could help save, all the people who need protection. Being a Skylander was not an easy job. They needed the best of the best, and they needed the best of the best as soon as possible. In theory, she could train a little more under her masters and then audition for the Skylanders later. But that could take years. Years she could have spent in the senior program, and in the field.

A part of her felt guilty for thinking it, but she wished that most of the other candidates performed poorly. If enough students performed pathetically, maybe she would be considered good enough for the senior program. It was a selfish desire, and she knew that. Something that by right, a future Skylander should not be thinking. But emotions and thoughts were not things one can so easily change. She wondered if she was even suited for this job.

Actually, that was another worry of hers. If she got in, whether or not she was suited for the job. By her nature, she was a pretty solitary being. Sure, she loved hanging out with her friends, but that was because she was comfortable around them. Part of being a Skylander was being a role-model for the citizens of Skylands. Someone a person could look up to. Could she do that if she was still somewhat tactless? If she was a loner? If she was still a little snappy and slightly temperamental?

This was a dream of hers. To do something which could truly benefit and help other people. But being a Skylander was not just about the fighting. It was also about comforting refugees, helping those in need, and overall being a hero. Could she step up to become a heroine for Skylands? Or was this something that she could grow into?

'Dreams are not born, they are made'. That was something one of her masters told her once. And back then, she did not get it. Now though, she knew that it was probably a way of saying that dreams did not come into existence like a newborn. They were constructed meticulously out of conscious desire. Of course, Stealth Elf still wanted to point out how babies still needed time to develop in the womb, but that particular master was known for his poetic, metaphorical style of speaking. It was no time to be literal-minded. But even though she knew that dreams needed time to develop, it would be nice to have some sort of outline. A blueprint to guide you through your life.

Right now, even though she had a rough idea of what she wanted, about who she wanted to be, her future still felt so formless. So uncertain. It was shrouded in fog. A part of her didn't even want to imagine how things would turn out in the future, because she simply couldn't imagine it. What did she have to look forward to? What could she do? What should she do? Were her backup plans good enough? So many questions, not enough answers which she was certain of.

The adults in her life told her not to worry too much. Don't overthink it. They were sure that she would build a life which she would become proud of. But that was easy for them to say. Sure, some of them might have been where she was in the past, but they had already lived so much more life than she had. They had already found their calling, found a way to live, made a life which they could be somewhat proud of. They weren't currently in her position, where she was worrying about where her future was heading.

They might have forgotten how small one feels, staring in the face of an uncertain fate. It was... scary. Facing up to something you knew nothing about. There were too many questions for her to feel completely comfortable, even if her muscles were all relaxed and the cramp in her hand had disappeared.

She sighed, and continued to stare at the vast night sky outside her bedroom window. Maybe she should still try to go to bed. After all, she did tend to overthink whenever she felt too tired. Glancing over at the wall clock, she realised that it was also getting a little late. So, she walked over to her bed, turned off the lights, and pulled a blanket over her. After a few moments of tossing and turning, she finally walked over to her trunk and pulled out a ratty old stuffed toy. She had not taken Mr Bun out in a long time. But tonight, she felt like she could use the extra comfort. Something which reminded her of her childhood, back in the days where she could still afford to be carefree.

And it was like magic. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep. The thoughts of the future still lingered in her brain, but she continued to fight against it. Counting sheep, cuddling Mr Bun, until eventually, she was too deep in sleep to overthink.


End file.
